Techniques for Controlling Operation of a Device with a Virtual Touchscreen

• US 20100103141A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Challener, David C., Yang, Jinping, Rutledge, James S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,525,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A technique for controlling operation of a device with a virtual touchscreen includes defining an area of a surface, associated with the device, as the virtual touchscreen. An operation within the device is then initiated based on activity within the virtual touchscreen. An overlay may be provided, on a display screen of the device, to indicate a location of the virtual touchscreen with respect to, for example, a keyboard of the device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

defining an area of a surface associated with a device as a virtual touchscreen; and

initiating an operation within the device based on activity within the virtual touchscreen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is a substantially planar surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is associated with a display screen of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is associated with a keyboard of the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is associated with a palmrest of the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity corresponds to a gesture by a user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the operation with the virtual touchscreen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of a laptop computer system, a notebook computer system, a tablet computer system, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, and a mobile phone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity within the virtual touchscreen is monitored by infrared cameras that are positioned to detect reflections from an object that enters a plane of infrared light, provided by infrared lasers, above the surface.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

visually providing an overlay on a display screen of the device to indicate a location of the virtual touchscreen with respect to a keyboard of the device.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

infrared cameras positioned to view a surface associated with a device; and

a processor coupled to the infrared cameras, wherein the processor is configured to;

define an area of the surface as a virtual touchscreen; and

initiate an operation within the device based on activity within the virtual touchscreen.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the surface is a substantially planar surface.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the surface is associated with a display screen of the device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the surface is associated with a keyboard of the device.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the surface is associated with a palmrest of the device.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the activity corresponds to a gesture by a user.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

associate the operation with the virtual touchscreen.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of a laptop computer system, a notebook computer system, a tablet computer system, a personal digital assistant, and a mobile telephone.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the activity within the virtual touchscreen is monitored by infrared cameras that are positioned to detect reflections from an object that enters a plane of infrared light, provided by infrared lasers, above the surface and the processor is configured to visually provide an overlay on a display screen of the device to indicate a location of the virtual touchscreen with respect to a keyboard of the device.

20. A method, comprising:

defining an area of a surface, associated with a palmrest of a device, as a virtual touchscreen;

associating an operation with the virtual touchscreen; and

initiating the operation within the device based on activity within the virtual touchscreen.